Things and Stuff

James felt his heart breaking even more as his youngest son sobbed into his chest. He softly rubbed his son's back as he looked over him and saw Lucy was also in tears. When the phone rang, James lowered his head, gazing towards the top of Thomas' as his thoughts were brought back to Gwen. He wasn't sure how he could leave Thomas when the boy was so upset, but he also knew he had to go to the hospital. What if the overdose was too severe and he never got to be there in his sister's final moments? James slowly shook his head. Elijah was locked up back in Dublin, Warren was dead and now it seemed possible he would lose Gwen too. James couldn't help but believe he was to blame for the suffering of his siblings. He only hoped his other half siblings, back in Italy, would never feel as compelled as Warren was to visit New York. Though after he breaks the news to Rayna, he suspected none of his mother's side of the family would ever want to anything to do with him again anyway. He wouldn't be surprised if Rayna blamed him too.

Lucy soon returned with the news Gwen was going to be okay. James let out a long, relieved breath at the news. He knew he would have a lot to talk about with Gwen once she was out of hospital, but for now he was both relieved and too exhausted to consider how he was going to make sure she got off the drugs for good. He nodded in understanding when Lucy made it clear they should let Gwen get some rest rather than going down to the hospital to see her yet. Lucy left Thomas with James whilst she and the rest went to the kitchen to prepare some food. Dinner was the last thing James wanted, but he understood the kids at least needed feeding before bed.

"Love you too, mate," James told Thomas, continuing to hug the boy until he moved back. Looking to his son's grieving face, James couldn't help but think how something as minute as a minute had been what decided whether Thomas lost an uncle or a father that evening. Whilst James wished it had been himself rather than Warren who had perished, he knew Thomas would have been even more devastated to lose his father. Whilst the boy was clearly upset about losing Warren, James knew it was even more traumatic to lose a father. Yet again, the man was reminded of how much time he spent away from home and how much of Thomas' life he'd had to dip in and out of for the sake of the business. James didn't have much of a childhood because of his own father's mob ties, so it brought it back home that Thomas was losing out too. James needed more time with his family while he could still get it.

"You know, Warren really loved you, Thomas," James spoke to the boy, managing a brief smile. "Since he ended up in hospital the other week, Benji's been passed from guard to guard outside. Poor dog isn't getting the same attention Warren always gave him, is he? I think your uncle would want you to take care of his dog. What do you think, Thomas?" James proposed.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Peter nodded his head as Danny asked if he was Savannah's father and then the young man introduced himself as her boyfriend, which made Peter cross his arms around his chest. What was he doing here without Savannah? The fact that he was standing in front of him asking where she was made him feel nervous. It was clear to Peter that the man was hurt in someway and Peter actually did a quick scan to see exactly where, not seeing anything too damaging, he looked back up to his face when he began explaining himself.

He stiffened as Danny told him that some gang had taken his daughter and he immediately cursed, his fists clenching with anger. Danny peered into the dark driveway and so did Peter, just for a moment. He turned back around and tried to say that he didn't mean to put his daughter in danger. Shaking his head angrily, he knew that he couldn't blame the kid for what had happened to the two of them. Stepping to the side, he nodded his head towards inside. "Get in here." He commanded before shutting the door behind Danny after looking towards the guards at the front gate for a moment.

Once safely inside, Peter nodded his head for the kid to follow him into the kitchen. "Conor, looks like we'll have to take a rain check. Savannah is missing." Arriving in the kitchen, Peter's face was strained as he began thinking of where she would go. She had escaped according to Danny so she had to have known to go somewhere it was safe. "Boy says a gang took her when they were at the arcade in East Village, she escaped but he couldn't find her." Moving a hand up, Peter pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about where she would have ran to. Danny was right to check the house first but clearly Savannah didn't think it was the safest place to run to. "She could be at home? I'll call the apartment."

Leaving Conor and Danny in the kitchen, Peter moved to the phone in the hallway, quickly dialing her number and waiting for anyone to answer.

"Hello?" Brady answered in a slur on the other end. "Is your sister home? Her boyfriend hasn't been able to find her, they got into some trouble?" There was a pause before Brady shuffled the phone and called Savvy's name a few times. "I don't think she is, pops. And boyfriend? When the fuck did that happen?" Peter ignored the question, "Are you drunk? It's 6 p.m." A low chuckle could be heard on the other end. "I was sleeping, dad. Do you need my help?" Peter thought about it for a moment before nodding to himself, "I think we are gonna need to gather a search party. Your mother cannot handle this right now, so we won't tell her okay? We'll head out now, you just come on home to keep an eye out for her." Brady chuckled before hanging up the phone.

Placing the phone back on the receiver, Peter walked back into the kitchen very briefly, just to grab his keys off the counter. "We are going to look for her. I'll take my car, Danny your coming with me, Conor you can follow behind us. " Not waiting for anyone to agree, he headed out quickly towards the driveway, "Emmy, lock up the house! Your brother will be here soon!" He called leaving the front door wide open for the other men to follow.
with: Danny Pyroclast
; Conor Misty Gray

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Gwen felt a warm sensation on her hand, causing her to look dawn a it. Seeing Jason's hand in hers confused her greatly as her brows furrowed together. He said her name so affectionately that she stared at him rather openly as she tried to think of who exactly this man was, his presence was twinged with familiarity but her mind was blank. He asked how she was feeling and if she knew what was going on and Gwen had to think long and hard about how to answer. She looked around the room, it was white walls with tiled floors, a few chairs set up in the corners. Suddenly, she felt the need to sit up and so she let go of Jason's hand before pushing herself up softly. Something on her side stung horribly, causing her to gasp out weakly but as stubborn as she was, she forced herself to sit up a little more. "I'm in the hospital?" She murmured gently, her hand being pulled by an IV needle in it. She frowned softly with frustration before making herself as comfortable as she could.

Eyes staring openly at Jason once more, she wondered why he was with her, at the hospital? It was becoming easier to remember that she had a family of some sort, what their faces looked like, names were still a little foggy but she knew for sure she had a family. Where were they? "W-why? Why are you here?" She then asked lightly. "I mean...my family's not, but you are." Gwen tried to work out why he was the only one with her, who he was to her. He had this energy that was familiar to her, but he himself was lost in her memory. "You know my name, so you must know who I am. But I can't remember who you are?" For reasons she couldn't explain, tears formed in her eyes as it became increasingly harder to remember why she was even in the hospital.

The heart monitor beeped a little faster and Gwen looked over at it, frowning deeply as she swallowed in deep breath. Bits and pieces of information were starting to come back to her, but they were random. Like she was living with her brother, she could sing, she had a daughter. But when she looked at Jason, her eyes were blank. Shaking her head, she found it awfully rude of herself to not remember someone, especially if they had made such an effort to see her. Looking down at her arms, Gwen noticed a fresh track mark in the crook of her elbow. Moving her hand over, she rubbed her fingers across it gently and that was all it took to remember why she was in the hospital. Looking up at Jason, she searched his eyes silently for a few moments before reaching out a shaky hand to take his. Once she was holding it, she looked down at it for a moment before closing her eyes, willing herself to think hard as she rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand. The feeling of his skin was all too familiar to her, the name was right on the tip of her tongue.

Thinking back to before she overdosed, she remembered she was brushing Lorelei's hair, waiting for him, the familiar guilt rushed into her chest and she snapped her eyes open. Recognizing him almost instantaneously, Gwen's lip trembled as she once again let go of his hand. "I didn't mean to hurt you like this, Jason." She whispered weakly as she moved to cover her face with her hands.
with: Jason Pyroclast

Things and Stuff

When she'd been confident the thugs from the arcade weren't searching for her nearby, Savannah had come away from between the parks trucks and rushed away from the area. As she walked desperately towards the heart of the city, she saw taxis and buses passing by. As tempting as it was to use public transport, she was afraid she'd get into a car with the wrong driver or take a bus full of hostile passengers. As dangerous as the street could be, she felt less at risk out in the open air.

Nearly an hour had passed by the time she reached the area of Midtown that she was most familiar and comfortable within. The area was heavily owned by the Porters and one of the safest part of the city she could be in, provided her family's employees were around. The pubs and clubs were already filling with drinkers out for the Friday night. Savannah seemed to block out the voices from around her. People vocalising concern for her whilst others were trying to pitch some cheesy chat-up line. It all seemed to fly over the troubled young woman's head. By the time she approached the street were some of the venues, including her Uncle Conor's pub were, she had a tight stitch in her side and she was getting out of breath. The fear and adrenaline were beginning to wear off, making way for the blonde's exhaustion to break through.

Outside the Emerald Pub, Adam stood smoking a cigarette as he chatted with the security guards out on the street. "I'm just stopping in for one pint. I'm planning on heading to Brooklyn for the night," he gruffly told them. The men assumed he was referring to the place, rather than the attractive woman named Brooklyn, who Adam had already shared a bed with twice before that night. Adam took a long drag from his cigarette before he noticed the familiar blonde approaching. Savannah looked to be in shock and Adam knew he couldn't ignore Peter's daughter, no matter what he'd got planned for his night. He flicked the cigarette aside onto the ground and approached Savannah. The Emerald was a friendly place for Conor's family, but Adam knew the drinkers were already rowdy and in high spirits. Certainly not something he expected the introverted blonde would be up for. "You alright, Blondie?" Adam asked his friend's daughter.

Savannah looked up to Adam, her wide-eyes reflecting a sense of relief to be in familiar company. "Please, can you take me home? To my parents' place?" she asked, her words faltering as she struggling to hold back her deep upset. Adam agreed but offered to phone Peter to give him a heads up. "No, please," Savannah quickly protested. "Just take me home, I don't want to wait. I don't want to explain over the phone."

Adam followed Savannah's wishes and hadn't hesitated in missing out on his pint to instead drive Savannah to her family's home. Once they were both strapped into the car, Adam put his foot down and sped off to Forest Hills. "You look startled, kid. Has someone hurt you, because all I need is a face or a name, then I'll make sure they pay," he offered, in his attempt at a good gesture. Savannah, didn't reply, instead remained seated in the passenger side with her eyes focused on the road ahead of them. She felt numb as she struggled to accept she'd just killed a man. It was as if everything about her in that moment had changed, like someone else was inhabiting her body. She'd done everything she could to have a life separate to the mob, yet now she'd killed another human being. She had blood on her hands and she wondered if that was it, that she'd always been destined to follow her family's path and she'd been an idiot to think she could break the cycle. Adam glanced to her, whilst he was perfectly comfortable with silences, he was concerned about how distressed his passenger seemed. "Talk to me, Savannah. You can ask me anything."

"You've worked for my family for some time," Savannah began, taking a moment to control her breathing as the anxiety persisted. "You've killed people--"

"Woah, I don't know where you heard that," Adam was quick to speak up. He was sure she didn't doubt that he was a killer, but it wasn't something he would freely talk about and he was surprised she would openly make such a statement. He was also sure Peter wouldn't appreciate him going into much detail about the kind of work he did. There were a lot of crimes he'd committed that he wasn't exactly proud of and certainly wouldn't scare Savannah with the details of. "Alright, maybe don't ask me anything. We're nearly home, but if you want to get anything off your chest, I'm all ears. My offer to get anyone who's upset you still stands."

As soon as they stopped at the bottom of the Callahans' driveway, Savannah shot out of the car and made a beeline for Peter who was standing on the driveway. Adam slowly got out of the car and leaned against the vehicle, watching on from the roadside. He didn't want to get in the middle of the family's drama, but he also figured he should hang around for a moment in case Peter wanted to question him about why he'd ended up driving Savannah to the house.

*****

Hearing Savannah was missing had instantly set off alarm bells in Conor's head. Thankfully Emery had by that point turned the music off, which meant the man could think straight. He was ready to leave the house and head out searching as soon as he heard some gang had taken her. Peter said he'd call the apartment first, causing Conor to sit tight in case Savannah had returned to her own place. Alone with Danny, Conor looked the young man over. He'd seen him before in Syd's club and when he heard who Savannah was dating, he made a point of paying more attention to his face. Savannah had been very clear nobody was to meddle in her relationship, but that didn't mean any of the family weren't going to have some suspicions or reservations. So far, other than his profession, Danny seemed to check out. However, hearing what had happened at the arcade didn't fill Conor with much confidence. He had a lot of questions to ask Danny, but none of them were important in that moment. The only thing on Conor's mind was Savannah's safety. "If you've got anything else you need to tell us, now's a good time to do it. Anything that can help us find Savvy."

*****

As she got closer to her father, Savannah saw Danny nearby and felt a wave of relief pass through her having thought her boyfriend had been killed. "Danny!" she cried out, giving him a tight hug as the tears streamed down her face. "You're okay," she whispered to him, grateful for that mercy. She then pulled away and looked back to Peter, finally feeling safe now she was home and her father was there. She moved in to wrap her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his chest as she sobbed. "Dad, I'm so afraid," she cried, her voice muffled as her face pressed against him. She moved her head back slightly so her next words would be heard clearly, hopefully sparing her of repeating them. "That man was going to kill me, Dad..." she began, struggling to speak as her sobs were causing her to choke up. "I killed him," she said to Peter in a loud whisper. She reached inside her jacket and pulled out the revolver, holding it out to the side as her hand trembled. "I shot him," she admitted.

Add alcohol and stir!

It was hard to watch Gwen try to work out where she was, especially as he knew it would likely upset her when she worked it out. It almost seemed cruel when Jason could just tell her everything that had happened and save her the distress and confusion. But the idea was to see how well her memory was functioning, so he forced himself to wait. Eventually she softly voiced her deductions and he gave her a small nod of confirmation.

Jason took a deep breath, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to keep his emotions under control for her. If she didn't recognise him, she could find his reaction disturbing and scaring her was the last thing he wanted to do. It came to light that she could identify that her family were not with her, but couldn’t remember who he was. Jason felt his heart break. With no warning, he had become a stranger to the person he loved. To him, she was everything; to her, he was nobody. A great feeling of loneliness welled up in his chest as he struggled to comprehend it - and, after reminding himself that her amnesia may only be temporary, hoped desperately for a chance to feel her love again.

There were no words he could say in that moment, no answer he could give her, for the lump in his throat was obstructing all his capacity for speech. She had taken her hand from his to sit up, and he dreaded that he would never feel her soft skin again. Clearing his throat, Jason plastered a tender smile on his face for her. He suddenly felt 19 again, reverting back to the ways in which he had learned to talk to his Nana whenever she forgot who he was. “That’s okay,” he softly assured her, though of course he was betrayed by the tears in his eyes. “D’ye mind if I sit here wit’ you anyway? Is that alright?”

He watched as her fingers traced the marks on her veins, wondering what was going through her head in that moment. There was now more colour to be observed in her face, and, while she appeared understandably exhausted, Jason could only see how precious she was. Whether she remembered him or not, nothing could stop him from adoring her. More than anything, he felt it extremely fortunate that she had survived the overdose and was awake; even if it meant the end of their relationship, he would at least be happy to know that she could go on living. Nevertheless, the lump in his throat refused to subside and when she moved her hand back over to his and held it, a single tear spilled down his cheek. It wasn’t the kind of gesture she would have made to a stranger.

Suddenly Gwen’s eyes snapped open and she stared at him. His eyes were brimming with thick tears as he gazed back at her, fighting a losing battle with the intense emotions building up inside of him. Jason was already shaking his head before she had even got to the end of her sentence; the second she said his name, the tears all cascaded down his face. Still, he tried to control himself for her sake. “Oh, Gwen, no -” he protested when she spoke of hurting him. He was just relieved to hear her speak his name. “No, no, it’s okay. It’s alright. I’m just glad you’re here...”

Still unsure of how much she could recall, Jason refrained from leaning over to draw her into an embrace, despite how much he longed to hold her. He refrained from telling her how much he loved her, too, in case she hadn’t remembered that either and grew afraid of him. In fact, there wasn’t much at all he felt appropriate to express in that moment - but some things were beyond his control. His eyes and throat were burning from trying to hold back his sobs, and, finally reaching a breaking point, Jason let his head drop towards the mattress and gave in. “I thought I’d lost you,” he whimpered, raising a hand to cover his mouth as he wept. “I...I-I really thought…” Twice she had stopped breathing, and when she admitted to forgetting who he was, that made it three times in one day that his greatest fear had almost come true. There was so much more he longed to say to her, but he didn’t know whether she would be ready to hear it. For now, he just let himself cry for her.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Thomas blinked a few times as he struggled to control his emotions. His father spoke about Uncle Warren really loving him and Thomas nodded his head in response, unable to say much more as he continued to work to control himself. Hearing that poor Benji had been passed from guard to guard was saddening to Thomas but then his father said he thought Warren would have wanted him to take care of Benji, causing him to go wide eyed. "You really think so?" He asked, a bit of excitement in his voice. "I will take such good care of him, dad! Feed him, bathe him, walk him! You don't have to worry about a thing!" Thomas once again moved in to hug James tightly. "Thanks dad!" He said just as Lucy walked into the room. Raising her eyebrows to James for a moment, she had heard Thomas' excitement and wondered what was going on.

"Everything okay in here, boys?" She asked lightly and Thomas turned to look at his mother. "I get to keep Benji!" Though not entirely surprised, Lucy smiled widely for her son, just happy to see that he was able to smile after such terrible news. "Thanks great, love. But remember, I'm not taking over your chores for you, dogs are a lot of work." Thomas then rolled his eyes and sighed, "Yea yea, I know, I promised dad that you guys won't have to worry." Lucy chuckled before her eyes landed on James. "Thomas, Leo and the rest are playing in the other room. Why don't you go see what they are up to, hm?" Nodding his head lightly, he turned and hugged James once more before standing on the step and heading towards the other room.

Lucy walked and moved to sit on the stairs beside her husband. Looking towards him, she reached and grabbed his hand before taking it in her lap. "You know...if there is one thing I'm grateful for, it's that I got to be a kid." Turning her head to look ahead, she sighed. "I told Syd after Roxie went missing about how eager I was to be in the action, much like he always has been. And now, 22 years later, here we are." Pausing for a moment, she squeezed James hand. "i'm so sorry James. I couldn't imagine losing a sibling." Lucy felt guilty creeping into her chest. "I-if I hadn't been such a foolish woman back then, you wouldn't have had to deal with all of this pain. I can't help but feel responsible for your position in all of this and how tired you look right now. I know I've been very persistent about you retiring but I just don't want to lose you." Her eyes burned as she moved to lean her head on his shoulder, "It may have been Warren's life today which I am devastated about, but these Italians want you dead. I know you would rather die than anyone else but I'm struggling to understand what I would be without you." Lifting her free hand, Lucy wiped under her eyes, "A decision I made at 23 has haunted me for the last 22 years and everyone we love is paying for it"
with: James Misty Gray

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Gwen watched how upset Jason was getting, her heart breaking as he finally gave in to his emotions. Trying to imagine what he had scene was difficult but she knew it must have been horrible. Shuffling up more in bed, Gwen reached for him as he bowed his head into the mattress. His words tore through her and the guilt hung heavy in her head as she shook it gently. "I'm right here."She croaked gently, pulling herself further down the bed to hold him. "Hey, come here." She murmured, helping him to stand so she could properly wrap her arms around him. Awkwardly trying to avoid pulling her IVs out Gwen wrapped her arms around Jason's shoulders, letting her head rest on his chest. It was hard to breathe and her body felt weak but Gwen held him for a few long moments before she pulled away to look at him.

"I promised I wouldn't lie...and I lied to you." She murmured softly, moving to lean back into the bed, she shook her head to herself. "I wanted you to get better, fuck, I really wanted to believe that I was getting better. If you just keep telling yourself you are...everything seems better. But this...what I've done to you. I didn't mean for it to get this far..." Gwen wanted to promise him that she was serious about getting better but her words had no merit any longer.

"Lorelei." She murmured lightly, "She was downstairs waiting for you to come to the house, did she-did she see?" Gwen's lower lip trembled as she blinked a few times. "I swore to take her away from her father because of his drug addiction, because of what it was doing to me. But I'm really no better now, am I?" Taking in a shaky breath the door suddenly opened to reveal Blake holding three to go cups of coffee. "You're up!" She said happily before taking in the atmosphere of the room. "I uh...brought coffee." Gwen offered the woman a small smile, "I could use a coffee." She murmured and Blake made her way across the room to hand it to her.

"I'll see if I can go find Finn, let him know you are awake." Blake said before setting the second cup of coffee on a near by tray table. Once she left the room again, Gwen turned to Jason before scooting over in the large bed and patting the place beside her. Once he was next to her, Gwen moved in to kiss his cheek. "I love you. I just remember that. But to tell you the truth which I know I'm not very good at, I've always loved you. Since the first night we met back in Dublin. Gwen then set the coffee down on the table beside her before leaning her head against Jason's shoulder. There was a lot of difficult things that would ensue from this incident, Gwen knew they would be difficult and trying but for now, she didn't want to think about that. "That first night we danced...I think is exactly when i knew you'd be trouble for me." Gwen reminisced.
with: Jason Pyroclast

The All-Powerful Enzyme!

Rhys clutched the glass to his chest as Ethan told the men in the room that James had walked away, without a scratch. The sounds in the room faded to a constant ringing, as people's voices muffled into incoherent mumbles. He got away. Rhys looked up to Alistair as he shifted all the blame onto Rhys's shoulders. He sat there quietly as the man scolded him for not being able to back up his bark with a bite. Despite how much he despised the East Harlem boss, his eyes remained passive as he stared back at the man, his eye contact never faltering. "You done?" Rhys asked once the room had fallen silent. He condescendingly tilted his head as if to urge the man to say more if he had to. "I know exactly where I went wrong," Rhys assured not only Alistair but the rest of the men in the room.

"I had his block under surveillance for weeks, studied his every move, set up an explosive charge that was certainly capable of killing him, yet I fucked up when I put my faith in your men." Rhys scoffed, setting the whiskey down. "If your men had been staking out the apartment all of today and yesterday, which was fuckin' ordered, that shamrock fuck would've been stardust." Rhys, gritted his teeth, his angry slowly wearing through his calm exterior. "I've been here for one month, one fuckin' month, and I've gotten closer to wiping out James Porter than you have in over a year, and the only reason he's not dead is because your men are fuckin' useless. No wonder he's been walkin' around the way he has." Rhys pointed to Tony in the corner. "Tony is the one exception, your save and grace. All he did was his job. The rest are nothin' but bullet fodder."

His anger ran it's course, as he regained his composure with a sip of whiskey. "Hey, I killed one of your targets that you've been gunning for, for a few months, and I wasn't even aiming for him. That says a lot about you, not me, not your men, but you." Rhys stared daggers into Alistair. "Harlem must be short a few sensible men because I can't see how your boys haven't eaten you alive yet."

Rhys quietly sat back in his chair as Gabriel focused on the two men that had informed him that Maddox slipped away. Rhys only closed his eyes when Gabriel pulled the trigger. A bright flash of light consumed the room, and then it was over, the man on the other side of the barrel face down in the rug. Rhys took another sip of his glass, looking to Gabriel. "James isn't a viable target anymore. Hell, I'll be surprised if he ever crawls out of his hole ever again. If we want to topple the Porters, we need to go for his underbosses."

Queen of Melanin

I was a lot to take in, watching the scene and news unfold. Leo had run up to her and hung on to her leg, while listening in on the grown ups talking. Ali's hand drifted to her son's head, rubbing his hair in comfort. He liked hanging out with Warren just as much as the other kids; he was the favorite uncle after all. But now, hearing that he had died made him think a lot of different things. He wasn't quite comprehending all of it as he looked to his mother for guidance, but she was busy taking in this new information too. Feeling Sinead's eyes slide over to hers, she could tell she was just about to break and it was confirmed when she rushed into the kitchen. In her mind, Ali reached out for her friend but in reality she couldn't move at all. She was frozen in place. Warren's death made the woman think about her own husband being out on some dangerous job and now she was scared he wasn't coming for them. They were supposed to do something with Leo and then spend time alone together, but what if all of that were no longer going to happen?

The sniffles brought her out of the trance and while she wanted to comfort father and son, she had to comfort her own child and friend first. Plus, Lucy would be able to take care of that while she took care of Sinead and getting the kids settled.. Walking into the kitchen while holding Leo's hand, she could feel the heaviness in the air. "Hey Lucy, I got it in here. You go out there with them." She reassured her, giving her a small smile before instructing Leo to sit down. Aliana placed her hand on Sinead's shoulder, reaching for Olivia to get her sat next to Leo. "Alright, baby, I need you to let it all out okay? Leo," she said, setting her next to her son. "I want you guys to talk, cry, confide in each other. We're family and that's what family is for." Reaching for the plates she and Sinead had made for the kids, she set it in front of them. "And if you can, eat okay?" After she gave them both kisses on their heads, she grabbed Sinead's hand and led her to the bathroom and closed the door. "It's okay, love, I'm here." She knew giving her friend a hug would more than likely make her cry and that was the point. "You don't have to be strong for anyone. Just let it out."

Things and Stuff

James nodded his head and gently squeezed Thomas' shoulder as the boy assured him he would look after Benji. "I know you will, mate, and I appreciate your help," he proudly told the boy. He wrapped his arms around his son to return his hug. He then looked ahead to see Lucy looking towards them. Releasing his son from the hug, James listened as Thomas explained to Lucy about keeping Benji. As he was dismissed to join the other kids, James called back out to him. "Hey, make sure Natasha doesn't get left out, would ya?" James was aware the girl was shy and he was sure Thomas would be able to help include her with the group.

With their son in the other room, Lucy sat on the step next to James. He looked to Lucy's lap as she held his hand. As she started to speak, James mirrored her eye line and gazed ahead towards the front door. He sadly nodded his head as she expressed she couldn't imagine losing a sibling. Regardless, he wasn't oblivious to how she'd lost others, including her father. He quickly shook his head as she began to blame her own mistake over two decades ago for the stresses that had been weighing him down since. "You can't keep blaming yourself for this, Luce. There have been periods of time, here and In Dublin, where things were running smoothly and I could have, probably should have, stepped down. It's my fault I'm in this position, Luce. I didn't quit when I had the chance to."

James fell silent as it once again hit him that Warren was dead. "What's happening now is my fault. Warren is dead because of a decision I made less than three years ago. I had Francesco Moretti and almost all of his family killed at that party. I tried to stop the Italians from becoming too powerful. I refused to show mercy or hesitance as I had in Dublin. I didn't want to give the Morettis chance to grow dangerous as the IWU had. But I messed up. Thanks to Gabriel's lucky break, the Morettis have still managed to become powerful and they're a real threat to us," he admitted. "Before Gabriel showed his face and when things were still running smoothly, I was hoping to retire. I was aiming to get your brother on track to take the business back. I knew I couldn't step down until someone, be it Conor or Syd, was ready to step up."

James softly squeezed Lucy's hand and looked to her, the grief showing in his eyes. "Before he died, even Warren was trying to talk me into retiring... I want to retire, I really do. I'm exhausted. I've been fighting for all of my life and now I just want to live, with you and the kids. But I can't, can I?" he asked, looking her in the eyes, as if searching for an answer. "What kind of a coward would leave his family and employees to fight a war he failed to prevent? Until someone is willing and able to take over, to protect this family, I have to keeping fighting, Luce. Even if it kills me."

Add alcohol and stir!

For a while, Syd continued to utter words of assurance and comfort to Roxie as he and Jackson hauled her out of the building and into the free outdoors. Defying all odds, they had successfully rescued her and would be able to bring her home for her to recover. Syd hadn’t seen his girlfriend for weeks - part of him had expected never to see her again - yet, finally reunited, he couldn’t find it in himself to rejoice at her safety. It was hard to identify what was stopping him. It didn’t feel like normal guilt, for that usually came with regrets and he had no regrets for killing Stefano; it had been an instinct to save her life when he thought her father was going to kill her, and by his rules, that couldn’t be a bad thing. But he felt strangely uncomfortable with his arm around her waist, like he had forfeited his right to be affectionate towards her after what he had done.

Whatever the feeling was, it eventually propelled him into silence. A shadow fell over them as they entered the woodland and Syd was glad for the opportunity to hide his face. It took them a long time to get Roxie back to the boat, taking care not to worsen their injuries as they climbed aboard. Chase and Darragh had laid the bodies of Garrett and their driver across the floor of the boat and covered them with their coats, but the driver’s seat was still drenched in blood and brains that dripped from the dashboard. Darragh sat among it, apparently having worked out how to drive, with Chase next to him for support. The moonlight couldn’t have made the two of them look any paler.

Syd spent the rest of the journey silently guarding Roxie, holding her securely and resting a tender hand upon her belly. Despite her size, he felt no movement. He kept his eyes on the water, trying to avoid everyone’s gaze as well as the gruesome mess seeping into the crevices of the boat’s interior.

The three of them parted ways with Chase and Darragh, who had the unfortunate job of bringing home their dead, and made their way to the hospital. He was dreading the questions that would be asked of them; there was always legal trouble attached to bullet wounds, which is why Syd had always opted for Farrid's assistance in the past - until his friend had returned to his home country. But with Roxie being pregnant, he knew the hospital would be the safest option for her. They could work out how to swing the legal side of things later - right now, her and the baby's health were the priority.

Syd borrowed - or stole, perhaps - an abandoned wheelchair from the smoking area and carefully helped Roxie into it before wheeling her through the doors. He was glad to have Jackson with him for support, especially since he was struggling to speak. The only reason he was still on his feet was because Roxie needed help. He couldn't stop until she had been treated and he knew his baby was alive and well - until then, he would lock his own feelings away, forcing them behind a stony expression.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

It took far too long to get to the boat, Roxie seeing the mess that was left behind in the dark was haunting to her. Her eyes were completely dried out by the time they did make it to the boat and some of the shock was beginning to fade, causing her to actually feel how cold it was outside. Syd held her securely but didn't say anything to her on the way to the city, it was the same when they made it to the hospital. Helping her into a wheelchair, Roxie slumped into it tiredly and shielded her eyes as they entered the bright hospital lobby. Saving herself from seeing the stares of people around her, they were immediately led back to one of the emergency room where she was helped to lay on a bed. Someone entered the room and he seemed to recognize Syd immediately, "Bloody hell, not you too." He muttered as he looked over Roxie. "You got her back then? " Roxie looked confused as Finn just smiled softly at her, something about his presence was extremely soothing so she found herself smiling very slightly in return. Nurses fluttered around her and she found herself holding her breath as she tried to not get too overwhelmed. It was odd being surrounded by so many people after only a little bit ago, she was all alone.

The prick of the needle going into her arm didn't even make her flinch as she stared off ahead towards the door, it took Finn a few times to grab her attention, waving his hand in her face lightly before she finally looked to him. "She's definitely in a state of shock." Finn murmured before looking to Syd, "So are you, pull up a chair so I can get you both fixed up." Roxie turned her head to look at Syd, waiting for him to sit in the chair beside her before slowly reaching out her hand to take his. Staring into his eyes for a long moment, she was trying her best to read him...but she knew how hard that could be. Finn and another nurse got to work patching them up, Roxie had to squeeze Syd's hand more than once as she fought the urge to make any sounds of protest.

When things were finally settled, Finn looked to the pair seriously, "We are going to call the ultrasound technician in here, see what's going on with the baby. That abdominal wound is infected but it's not deep enough to reach the womb. But just by looking at you it's clear to me that you are lacking the nutrients for both yourself and the baby. Remember that it's important to stay calm, okay? I'll be back after the ultrasound to discuss what the plan will be." Roxie nodded her head, thanking Finn lightly before he left the room. Silence filled the room as Roxie sat with Syd, still holding his hand tightly in hers.

Panic began to rise in Roxie's chest as the voices in her head started to return, letting out a shaky sigh, Roxie shifted in the bed slightly so that she could look at Syd better. "Thank you." She whispered to him, her eyes searching his as she tried to make sense of why he was being so silent with her. "You...you did what you had to." She murmured.

Before she could say anything more, the ultrasound tech entered the room with the giant machine, squashing any chance of her repairing things with Syd before they saw what the baby's fate was. Probably having heard of the state Roxie was in, the ultrasound tech didn't seem to wear the usual smile that they had worn the last time she'd come in for a check up, instead they were silent setting things up. With everything set up, Roxie nervously watched as the woman moved the wand onto her stomach. Squeezing Syd's hand as tight as she could, Roxie didn't want to look towards the screen so she chose to look at Syd instead. At first there was silence as the woman continued to move the wand around her belly, carefully avoiding the raised scar on it. Roxie's eyes watered as the silence continue and just as she thought the worst, a heartbeat sounded from the machine.

A brief smile formed on Roxie's face as she turned her head to look at the screen, seeing that the little blob had grown was relieving up until another heartbeat sounded and another small form caught her attention. Staring hard at the screen, Roxie tried to make sense of it, "Is that-?" She couldn't even finish her sentence. "Twins. Two girls to be specific, they are small for this stage, but they are healthy." Roxie's ears began to ring as shock flooded over her, turning her head to look at Syd, she needed to confirm that he was hearing exactly what she was. "Twins." She squeaked out.
with: Syd Pyroclast

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Lucy didn't want James to take any of the blame for anything but she knew she couldn't prevent him from feeling guilty. Hearing about his decisions he had made, only made her wish that he had been able to find a way out sooner. He squeezed her hand and looked to her, grief clearly showing in his eyes. Lucy lifted her other hand to caress his cheek lightly, being careful of the cut on it. He was searching for answers that Lucy wanted to provide for him but it was a question he had been asking for years. "You wouldn't be a coward, James" Lucy murmured softly. "You are anything but that. Age is catching up with you, we aren't the same kids we once were back in the day. I worry about you every single day and I can see that all of this is getting to you. You won't listen to your body's warning signs but I will. We need to talk to Conor...Syd is nowhere near ready to take over this business. He has a lot to work on but Conor, he's changed a hell of a lot."

Lucy looked forward again and sighed, "The whole gang needs you, I can' t argue with you on that. But as someone who spends all of her time with Thomas, I can tell you right now, that he needs you more than the gang does...especially right now. We will never tell him how close he was to losing you today but our kid is bright enough to know that someday he could." Lucy's eyes watered as she thought about her own father that she was fortunate to have in her life until the age of 24. "You know how hard it is for kids to understand these types of things...I think a prime example of that is Syd." Remembering how happy Syd use to be before all of the trauma made her incredibly sad, he was barely able to handle himself now let alone the responsibility of running a gang.

"I know that Skye's death hit him hard, but I can't help but feel responsible for allowing him to live a life like this and I know you feel the same way about Warren. I don't want the same to happen to Thomas...he deserves so much more than this, as did Syd, as did Warren. We have to learn from our mistakes, James." Turning to look at her husband again, her eyes searched his as she hoped that this time, he would listen to her. "He's still go time to live a somewhat normal life...but that isn't going to happen if his father isn't there to guide him into adulthood. You may beg to differ, but I can't parent him on my own. "
with: James Misty Gray

Add alcohol and stir!

Under the bright hospital lights, Syd could finally take a proper look at the damage Stefano had done. The dark circles under her eyes, her dry skin and pronounced bone structure. She had always been slender, but there was plenty of evidence in her appearance that showed how badly Stefano had neglected her. Syd wanted nothing more than to see her well again...he only hoped she would still want him to be the one to help her get there. Still unable to find any words for her, he silently passed her a cup of water, concerned for her hydration levels. Perhaps it was due to the shock, but considering he had had no confirmation as to whether the baby was well or even alive, Syd appeared unexpectedly calm.

There was a lot of activity in the room as the nurses helped Roxie to get settled, but nothing could draw Syd’s attention away from her. That was, until he heard a familiar voice at the door. “Finn…” While the doctor was disappointed to see them, Syd was relieved to see a friendly face and hoped that he would be staying to take over rather than just stopping by. The word ‘too’ caught his attention, wondering who else Finn knew who could currently be at the hospital. The chances of someone in the family getting hurt in the few hours since his team had left the house were so slim, he couldn’t even make a guess. But then, without any context, Syd didn’t have the capacity to ruminate over it. He was too preoccupied with Roxie and the baby, as well as Stefano, to be able to think about much else. Not wanting to prompt any further questions from the man, Syd only glanced at Roxie in response to his observation before letting his gaze fall to the floor. Even though he still firmly believed that he had had to kill the man, it really wasn’t sitting right with him. He would have to talk about it at some point, but until then he just wanted to know that Roxie and the baby would be okay.

Syd’s vision blurred as he sank into his thoughts. They were so loud inside his head that he didn’t even realise he had begun to sway slightly on the spot. The idea of sitting down hadn’t even occurred to him until Finn told him that he was in shock and ordered him to pull up a chair. When he did, he was also reminded of the bullet in his vest as a stabbing pain sprung through his ribs, drawing an audible wince from him. Clutching at his side with one arm, Syd relaxed slightly as he saw Roxie’s hand extending towards him. After what he had done, it was reassuring that she still wanted him there, and he gratefully took permission to hold her hand.

Syd didn’t see any of what the doctors did for Roxie, as he was too busy being examined himself; their wounds raised much suspicion among the hospital staff and Syd soon found himself focused on dodging all the questions they fired his way. Still, as long as he was better at dodging questions than dodging bullets, at least his troubles might end with the injuries. The raw flesh on his grazed neck felt like it was burning and the enormous black bruise on his abdomen was significantly worse than any he had ever had before. In the end, he was more willing to return his attention to Roxie, finding it hardly worth listening to the doctors telling him he had broken a couple of ribs. His graze took only a few minutes to disinfect and stitch up, and it wasn’t long afterwards that Finn left the two of them alone and waiting for the ultrasound technician to arrive.

Everything was so up in the air that Syd couldn’t tell if Roxie was finding the silence as awkward as he was. An apology hovered on the tip his tongue, but it took such a long time for him to work out how to bring it up that in the end it was Roxie who spoke first. The conflicted feeling of guilt and shame had blinded him to the idea that she would be grateful for being rescued, and so it took him by surprise to hear her thank him - even more so to hear her make sense of what he had had to do. “Mm,” he quietly acknowledged, still not fully comprehending it himself. Without conscious effort, his gaze kept falling downwards, but he forced himself to look her in the eye. Giving her hand a squeeze, he even managed a weak smile. “I’m just...h-happy to see you again.”

Just as he thought the atmosphere couldn’t get any more grim, the ultrasound technician entered the room and began to prepare the scan. She offered no reassurance or comfort, which Roxie and Syd both could have done with. Onto the matter of whether the baby was alive, Syd began to feel increasingly sick as he prepared to hear the worst. He held tightly onto Roxie’s hand, knowing that she would be feeling the exact same fear. Unlike her, however, Syd didn’t dare to tear his eyes from the screen.

The tiny flicker of a heartbeat brought him such relief that he let out an audible gasp and his hand flew to his mouth to suppress the sudden emotion. He could have burst into tears right there and then, but the next word he heard halted everything. Only because Roxie turned to him and repeated it did Syd not second guess himself. “Twins...” he quietly muttered, staring back at her in shock. Then, after a couple of seconds, he let out a breath of laughter. “Twins?! Twin girls? We’re having two daughters?” Syd looked up at the technician with wide eyes. “We’re having -”

“That’s right,” the technician replied, finally smiling at them. Syd couldn’t believe it. Whereas before the overwhelming events of the evening had buried all his incomprehensible emotions beyond any manner of display, the news of having twins was having the opposite effect. Though they were no more comprehensible - perhaps even less so, since his happiness and gratitude were mixed with the heavy feelings he hadn’t even begun to work through yet - they came bursting out of him, bringing with them some delayed response to the horrific scenes they had just come from. The uncontrollable, somewhat crazed smile on his face paired with the tears in his eyes made him look a completely different man than the one who had so silently walked into the hospital just minutes before. The urge to laugh and cry were both so extreme, he wasn’t sure which would win out over the other; in the end, what came out was a confusing mix of both. Forgetting about his broken ribs for the moment, Syd launched himself from his chair and began to pace the room to relieve the fresh wave of energy surging through him. “Roxie!” he cried, now also forgetting everything that had lead up to the present moment. In fact, he wasn’t thinking of any of the context behind their reason for being there that night at all. “Roxie, you’re - you're amazing,” he darted to her side and brought her hand up to kiss it. “You’re amazing, you’re amazing -” Feeling himself entering a manic episode, Syd continued to pace the small, private room, running his hands through his hair as he flitted between loud laughs and sobs. Despite his beaming smile, his chest was growing tight, completely overwhelmed by what was happening, and his breathing grew heavy and rapid.

“Hey, why don’t we step outside and get some air, hm?” the technician said, guiding him to the door. “We’ll let Roxanne have some peace…” Before he knew it, the technician had shut him out of the room, leaving him on his own but for a few staff members and visitors that were heading down the corridor. Syd let out a few more loud bursts of laughter before suddenly screaming from the top of his lungs. Everyone in the corridor stared at him - someone even dropped the file they were carrying, sending sheets of paper all across the floor. Meanwhile, Syd just stood there, wide-eyed and shaking and struggling to breathe. Nobody dared approach him to ask if he was okay. When he looked around him, he found himself standing outside a completely different room and couldn’t see Roxie through the window anymore. There was a phone on the opposite wall, however, so he picked it up and dialled his parents’ number.

It didn’t ring for long, but to Syd it seemed like forever. Unable to speak when it picked up, he only started laughing shakily again, breathing heavily. His teeth were chattering when he spoke. “We got her!” he exclaimed, gripping the phone with both hands as tears streamed down his cheeks. “We got her, sh-she’s okay. Me and Jackson are -” he cut himself off then, realising that he didn’t know where his Godfather actually was. Forgetting what he was talking about, he started afresh. “Twins!” he blurted out, drawing in a heavy breath and baring his teeth. People continued to give him strange looks, but he didn’t notice. “Th-there are two babies. Girls. I’m going to be a dad, twice!”

Things and Stuff

Feeling Aliana's hand on her shoulder, Sinead turned to face her friend. She placed a kiss on Olivia's forehead before letting the other woman take the blonde child from her. Soon enough, all five of the children were sat around the dining table. Olivia sat quietly at the table, quickly nodding her head as Aliana told the children to let out how they were feeling. The girl let out a loud sigh as she thought about Warren's death. it only served to remind her that her mother, Arlene, had also recently died. She was starting to wonder if others she cared about would die too. Having started to get comfortable with Lucy and James, she wasn't sure if she could manage to get used to yet more parental figures. She didn't want to move away from the Porters. When the plate of food was placed in front of her, Olivia sniffled before starting to eat, taking the smallest of reluctant mouthfuls as she looked to the other children at the table.

Sinead was surprised when Aliana took her hand to lead her to the bathroom. With the door closed, her friend because speaking to her reassuringly before the pair hugged. "They need me to be strong. I need me to be strong..." Sinead took a strained breath, the built-up sob almost choking her before she started to cry. "How can you always stay so strong? I don't know how you do it."

Sinead let go of Aliana and leaned back against the sink, grabbing a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes even though more were still coming as she continued to cry. "Warren hadn't even lived yet. He wasn't married, had no children. And he's not the first young man to be killed so cruelly," she said, of all those who had died, it was Tommy whose face was brought to the forefront of her mind, but she wouldn't say his name to Aliana. She couldn't make her friend feel any worse than the day was already dictating. "Every time things get good, some horrible jerk comes along to hurt us all again." She sniffled as she thought of the East Harlem members who had tortured her along with Lucy and Syd. Then she thought of the Morettis. "And, of course, it's fucking Italians again," she said, presenting her highly rare usage of profanity. "I hope James kills that jerk, just like he did Vinnie. I can't have these people hurting our family again. Peter, Conor, Jackson, Syd... They're all out on dangerous jobs and none of their children deserve to grow up without their dad. I wasn't a child when I lost mine, but it hurt so much and I can't imagine how a kid would manage." Sinead took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down from her rant. "I don't like violence, Ali, but those monsters won't listen to anything else," she said, feeling bad for wishing a man dead, even if she still wanted it.

Senior Member

Everything else had been a blur. The car journey, pulling up at the Boss' home, the drinks and congratulations. Tony was still smiling, the Cheshire like grin plastered on his face. But his mind was elsewhere, back underneath the apartment, below that torrent of flame and belching black smoke, the air of tranquility and normality brought shattering down. The screams and cries of onlookers as their world crumbled around them. Nothing to do with physical pain or suffering, nor empathy towards those directly caught in the sudden outburst of violence. Instead it was grief, mourning as they knew that the trappings of civilisation were falling away, melting as the fires of war came to them, something that until now had been nothing more than a distant news story, half listened to and half remembered. No one was safe, they knew that now. James Porter would have learnt that in those fleeting moments before his demise, safety is but an illusion. Porter had learnt that the hard way, to the victors the spoils and as Tony raised his glass to his mouth and sipped at the amber liquid within, his thoughts returned to the now, and victory. That was soon shattered with the arrival of Alistair. James Porter was alive.

Tony matched Alistair’s wild gaze with his own, taking a step towards the man, his glass dropping to the floor in a crash of breaking glass, his fists clenching.

“You’re full of fuckin’ shit Alistair!”

His breathing was coming thick and fast now, feeling the eyes of Gabriel and the others turning on him. The mirth and good humour rapidly being replaced with distrust and anger.

“It was fuckin’ him I heard his voice with my own ears, you all saw the blast…”

He let out a low groan, like some sort of wounded beast, his hands grasping at the side of his head as he stalked across the room, his fingers whitening under the pressure he was exerting. He didn’t even flinch as the gunshot echoed throughout the room. Too caught up in his own mind, the calm blue skies replaced with rolling storms and crashing waves. Porter. Fucking Porter. Rhy’s defence of him filtered through, but counted for little. This Irish prick had made him look like a fool. He tore his hands away from his head and slammed them against the wall.

"Fuck it all. To hell with the plans and subterfuge. We had his wife there on the street. We had Syd in our hands as well. We stop trying to win the mind games, and we just give him the war we've all been pussyfooting around. You give me 10 men and half a mill, I know a guy who will give us the goods to bring fuckin' fire and brimstone down on these Porters. They're goddamn rats, we chase them out, they'll just scurry back when our backs are turned. Only way to make sure is to ship them back to Dublin in a wooden box. You want to keep this gentlemanly, then you can just cut me loose and say I've finally gone the way of all mad dogs and slipped the chain,"

He laughed and ran his hands over his head. The laugh was dry and humourless, his eyes filled with madness as opposed to mirth.

"They heard my voice, and you don't exactly have a lot of Londoners on your payroll, so they're going to be gunning for me anyway. Worst case scenario I take a few more Porters to the grave with me,"

Add alcohol and stir!

Despite never having met the man before, Danny was surprised that Peter didn’t want to direct his anger towards him. Other than that, he wasn’t far off what he had expected Savannah’s father to be like. Knowing he had to hand the control of the situation over to him now, Danny complied with his commands and quickly entered the house. He was immediately led into the kitchen where they were met by another man, and leaned himself against the kitchen counter, grateful that Peter was explaining the situation so that he didn’t have to.

Conor looked Danny up and down and then prompted him to fill in any gaps of missing information. “Uh…” he stuttered, casting his mind back to the events that had taken place. “I don’t know, it looked like some gang had seized the place. Everyone in there was dressed in black and acting weird. The guy had, uh, a gold tooth and a real harsh voice...and he knew Savannah’s name, but I don’t think she even recognised him.” As he played back the scene in his head, it dawned on him what she had done. It was so unimaginable to him that he didn’t even know how to say it. “A-and...I think she -”

Before he could finish his sentence, Peter entered the room once again to grab his keys and ordered Danny to come with him. With Savannah’s life at stake, he didn’t hesitate to follow. “Is there anywhere else she feels safe?” he asked as the two of them hurried over to the car. Peter didn’t even have time to answer him, however, before a car pulled into the bottom of the driveway. Savannah practically flew out of it, running straight for her father - but it was Danny she ended up flinging her arms around first. Overcome with relief at knowing she was safe, the pain of having his internal injuries and bruises squeezed so tightly was easy enough to ignore. He recognised the man at the wheel as Adam, and while he didn’t particularly like the man, he took comfort in knowing that she had been in the safe hands of a trusted affiliate. “Oh my God, Savannah,” he exhaled, holding her head securely against his shoulder. “I'm so happy to see you…”

The only reason he was able to let her go was that Peter was there and she needed her father more than anyone in that moment. Already knowing what she had done, it felt awful to watch her sob into Peter’s chest, terrified beyond belief. Danny stepped back to give them some space, raising his knuckles to his mouth as he watched the scene unfold. It was impossible for such a harmless, pacifistic person as Danny to imagine what it would feel like to kill someone, so he couldn’t quite get his head around it - until she withdrew the gun. His heart grew heavy at the very sight of it; she hadn’t told him that she had been carrying that around with her. But he knew that Savannah was like him and so he didn’t believe that she would ever carry a weapon with the intention of using it unless it was vitally necessary. All he knew, was that if she hadn’t taken it with her on their date, she wouldn’t be alive.

Things and Stuff

James nodded his head as Lucy told him he wouldn't be a coward for retiring. He'd never backed down from a fight and had always been willing to get his hands dirty if his men weren't comfortable carrying out the work he asked of them. If anything, sitting at his desk had always felt alien to him, with him preferring to be out on the field facing those who threaten his business. That's what made it harder for him to comprehend the thoughts and feelings that lead to his building desire to retire. He'd been leading the family for 22 years, which was still a shock to him, considering he initially only stepped in to take the pressure off of Conor to do what had to be done to destroy the Romanos. No matter how much he was able to maintain his physical strength, James knew he couldn't do anything about how mentally and emotionally drained he was feeling. He was tired of fighting. So when Lucy mentioned them needing to talk to Conor, James didn't even bother trying to hesitate to nod with agreement. Conor still had exceptional physical strength and his fighting spirit was still as alive as ever. Those attributes had never been brought into question, not even when he was a 20-year old throwing his weight around in Chicago. The big difference now was that Conor finally had the maturity and apparent motivation to support the family business from a high position. James hoped the highest position...

"You're right, Luce. He has changed," James echoed her words, slowly nodding his head as he considered it. "We'll talk to him, but if he's not comfortable with taking over or I don't think he's ready, then I can't step down, because the gang needs a leader." James couldn't imagine backing out completely, even if Conor was in charge he'd still want to help where he could.

James placed his hand on his mouth as Lucy spoke about Thomas and how the boy couldn't know how close he came to losing his father. He closed his eyes as she mentioned Syd and how not only Skye's death but also the family lifestyle was now having terrible effects on the man. A difference between Syd and Thomas was that Syd had wanted to follow in James' footsteps when he was younger. James had been able to bond with his eldest son through training, both in the business and car mechanics. Thomas had no interest in the family business and James couldn't help but be relieved by that, but what it did mean was that he didn't spend enough time with the boy as he should. Embarrassingly, James couldn't say in all honesty that he knew what Thomas' aspirations were and that made it even more important for him to spend time with his youngest son. James moved his hand away from his mouth and looked Lucy in the eyes. "No. You're right, Luce. I need to be here for him. I just hope I can be--"

The sound of the telephone ringing broke James off from his thoughts. Given the fact he was still waiting to hear back about the jobs involving Roxie and Maddox, James couldn't help but automatically assume there was more bad news to be delivered. Not wanting to risk having any news watered down to spare him, James was quick to his feet. "I'll get it," he told Lucy. As he stepped into the lounge and neared the telephone, James very briefly hesitated. Four of his most trusted men, including his eldest son, were out on dangerous jobs. What if any of them hadn't made it back alive? James shook off his hesitance and lifted the receiver.

At first there was the sound of laughter. In a brief moment his initial assumption was the enemy mocking him. However, it very quickly became apparent the man laughing on the other end of the call was Syd. That was a little odd too, until Syd spoke to say they'd got Roxie. The woman was okay, as were Syd and Jackson. James looked over his shoulder, beckoning Lucy to come closer to him. "They're all okay," James quietly told Lucy, hoping to relieve some of her worries. Then Syd blurted out the word "twins", to which James tilted the receiver so Lucy could listen to their son at the same time. "Twins, Syd?" James began, his tone reflecting his relief. Syd then spoke again, clarifying Roxie was expecting twin daughters, which managed to bring a smile to James' face, despite the man's grieving. "That's amazing, Syd. Two granddaughters to spoil, huh?" he said, his voice faltering a little as he was overcome with relief. James let Lucy take the receiver from him as he slumped down into the armchair. The mixture of grief, joy and relief were rippling around inside him, bringing the man to emotional exhaustion. James allowed his head to drop back and rest against the chair, somehow trying to get his head around how great it was that Syd and Roxie were both okay... and expecting twins.

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Peter was just about to get into the car when two headlights blinded him, seeing a shadow get out, he waited until they got closer and noticed that it was his daughter. The relief practically choked him as she walked closer and closer to him but then she walked passed him to Danny which made Peter slightly irritated. Watching the two embrace was a bit uncomfortable for him, shifting foot to foot as he waited for their reunion to be over. Soon, Savvy moved to wrap her arms around him and he didn't hesitate to do the same. Moving his hands up to cradle her head, he felt her sobbing into his chest. "It's okay, love. You're home." He murmured gently, squeezing her tighter as he allowed himself to have a moment with her.

When she moved her head back and spoke about a man trying to kill her, Peter shook his head angrily. "Did you get ta clear loo-?" He was interrupted as she stated in a loud whisper that she killed him. Eyes going wide, Peter stared at her openly for a moment before his eyes looked to her hand that held the revolver firmly in its grasp. Lost for words, Peter wasn't sure what he could say to Savannah to make her feel better. Killing someone always did a number on him..."You did the right thing, Savvy. You did the right thing." Reaching his hand down, he slowly pried the revolver from her hands to take it into his own before unloading it and letting the bullets fall to the floor. The air was chilly and it was starting to get to Peter as fog wrapped around the light that shown dimly around the house. "Let's get you inside, it's freezing out here." He murmured before looking towards Danny and then Conor.

"I've got it from here, mate." Peter told his brother-in-law. "I'm going to get these two settled before I go pick up Sin, you better go check on Aliana and the rest." With that, Peter hugged his daughter before moving to take her arm, gently leading her towards the house. Turning his head, Peter nodded along for Danny to follow. Once inside the house, Peter got a good look at the both of them. "Either of you hurt? I have a medical kit in the bathroom."
with: Savannah + Conor Misty Gray
; Danny Pyroclast

Yes, I put pineapple on pizza. Sue me.

Lucy was in agreement that they needed to talk to Conor, James was under too much stress and Lucy definitely felt he needed some help with dealing with all of the business. He spoke up about her bring right that he needed to be there for Thomas but before anything more could be said, the phone rang from the other room. Following her husband slowly, she watched as he hesitated to pick up the phone. Syd was still out on his job finding Roxie, the last thing they needed to hear in this moment was bad news. Holding her breath, she watched as James answered the phone. The look on his face was one of confusion and he beckoned Lucy closer. Hearing that they were all okay made Lucy sigh with relief. James tilted the phone as Syd said something Lucy couldn't hear, but James clarified the word and the woman looked to her husband with wide eyes that were already filling with tears. Syd confirmed it revealing that they both were expecting twin girls and Lucy clutched her chest, "Oh my god." She whispered happily, watching as James handed her the receiver before he moved to slump down in the arm chair beside the phone.

"Syd! That's incredible! So you both are okay? Jackson's okay? You are at the hospital right?" She asked, her head swimming with so many questions that she didn't know where to begin. Looking down at James, she was suddenly brought back to reality, the high she was feeling from good news slowly simmering. "Hey listen, your father and I would love it if you would stay with us for a bit. I know Roxie might feel overwhelmed but I promise that it would be better if the both of you could catch a break before settling in back home. I have dinner waiting for you all when you get home. I love you, kid. Your father and I are both very proud of you two. Please get home as soon as you can okay?" Saying her goodbyes, Lucy hung up the phone before looking to James once more.

"You okay, gramps?" She teased gently before moving to sit on the armrest next to him. "That was pleasantly unexpected...now I have to work on more booties for them." Lucy's smile began to fade as she looked at James a little closer. "This is a lot to handle right now, would you like something stiff to drink? The kids will be ready for bed soon and then we can finally get some peace and quiet around here."
with: James Misty Gray
; Syd Pyroclast

Things and Stuff

Savannah had felt some comfort in Danny returning her hug. Not only was she relieved he was alive but she was also warmed that he didn't want to run a mile from her after what she'd done back at the arcade. Peter's warm embrace comforted the blonde, making her feel safe and secure in his arms. She nodded her head against his chest as he reassured her she was home, sinking closer into him as he held her tightly. She loved her apartment and Independence, but in that moment she just wanted to be at home with her family. When she had moved back to look at her father, she could see his face had turned angry at mention of the man trying to kill her. In that moment she feared how angry he was going to be with her after finding out she'd killed her attacker. Or disappointed. Would her parents look at her the same way again? What if they thought of her as a bad person?

Savannah's concerns about how her father would look at her were soon put to rest when he assured her she'd done the right thing. She neither hesitated nor assisted in letting him take the gun from her, simply maintaining a lazy grip on the gun that allowed him to easily prise it from her hand. She closed her eyes as she listened to the remaining bullets fall onto the gravelled driveway. She then nodded her head and reopened her eyes at Peter's suggestion of going inside. She caught Conor's eye as the man approached her on his way to get into his own car to leave for the Porter house. The look her uncle sent her made it clear he was processing what had happened, but again, any concerns she had were wiped away as he placed a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You did what you had to do, love. Nobody can judge you for that," Conor gently told his niece. He then sent Peter a nod before continuing on and getting into his car.

Savannah was relieved her uncle didn't seem repulsed by her either. She sank back into another of Peter's hugs before breaking away to follow his lead into the house. She sent Danny a glance, glad her father wasn't turning him away and that they might all get time to talk. As they entered the house, Emery was standing at the bottom of the stairs with a curious expression on her face. She'd seen and heard enough to gather something had happened involving her sister using a gun. She didn't imagine Savannah had killed someone, but even aware of the simple fact her sister had used a gun was a surprise to the redhead. Whatever it was, she was just glad Savannah was home safe. "Welcome home, Sav. Whatever you've done, I'm pretty certain you've got my support," she said. She wanted to ask what had happened, but everyone looked pretty serious so she didn't want to overstep her mark and get told to butt out. She looked to Danny and sent him an awkward wave. "I'm Emery. Good to finally meet ya!" she spoke to him. Sensing she'd be told to and not wanting to be told to, she took the initiative and headed to her room out of the way. She was sure she'd fish out the details soon enough.

Savannah had managed a forced smile to Emery, glad to see her sister but not ready to tell her what she'd done. When Peter ask her and Danny if they were hurt, she quickly shook her head. "I'm not hurt, Dad. But Danny... Are you okay, Danny?" she worriedly asked.

It didn't take long for Savannah's mind to snap back to worrying about what she'd done. "I killed someone, Dad. What if that horrible gang come after me? What if the police come to arrest me?" she asked in a panic. "Mum's going to be so disappointed and I don't want to go to prison. But do I go and turn myself in? Oh God... what do I do?"

Add alcohol and stir!

Syd was so excited that it didn’t even occur to him that his father wouldn’t be able to tell he was nodding his head. Still, his continuous laughter and crying was all the confirmation he would need and he said nothing more until his mother’s voice sounded on the other end, asking him several questions at once. “We’re at the hospital right now,” he confirmed, with no regard for his loss of volume control. “We didn’t all make it but Roxie and Jackson and Chase and Darragh are all okay. We won, mam! We got her!” Syd’s mood was now far too elevated to fixate on the horrors of the evening and was therefore able to breeze through his morbid report of who had survived without getting affected by it. While the news of having twins was fresh on his mind, nothing else seemed to matter. Killing Stefano, watching comrades get blown apart, it all could have happened a lifetime ago, now completely buried beneath a layer of pure elation. So, when Lucy suggested that they stay with them at the mansion for a while, Syd was only happy to agree. “That’s perfect,” he whispered, without even giving it any thought. Her mention of dinner moved him, overwhelmed by her kindness. Knowing he could easily have been killed that night, he felt especially eager to appreciate his family and all that he would have lost. “I love you, too. We’ll see you soon. I love you!”

Still beaming from ear to ear after she hung up, he closed his tearful eyes and rested his forehead against the phone box, clutching the receiver tightly as he revelled in his parents’ pride. He began to think again about his twin daughters, picturing what they might look like and the best way he could hold them both at once. So lost in his daydream, he didn’t realise where he was until an impatient woman said, “Sir, are you actually using that phone?” Syd opened his eyes and stared at her for a second before pushing himself away from the wall and handing the receiver to her. After his initial outburst, he had somehow ended up in another corridor and couldn’t remember how to get back to Roxie’s room. Without any consideration for the staff, patients and visitors around him, Syd lit up a cigarette and wandered around through corridors and stairwells, singing softly to himself as the nicotine began to calm him down a bit.

Things and Stuff

Conor had heard Savannah say she'd killed a man. Considering the man in question had intended on bringing harm to his niece, Conor had no doubts Savannah did what she had to do and he wasn't about to spare a thought for the asshole who had threatened her. The only part he didn't like about the young woman's actions were the fact his sweet niece was devastated and would have to live with what she'd done, likely always weighing heavy on her gentle conscience. Conor himself knew how difficult it was to process that first kill and he was a violent and well-prepared man. He reassured his niece as he walked to his car, but Adam's presence caught his attention and forced him to briefly detour to speak to the man. "The arcade over in East Village. I need you to find out who knocks about in there. Specifically, which wankers were there this evening. Lay low, keep a real distance and don't do anything about them yet. Just report back to me with what you find, yeah?" Conor asked. He he then patted Adam on the shoulder to let the man leave before returning to his own car.

After parking up in the driveway, Conor got out of his car and was approached by one of the mansion's security guards who proceeded to talk about Warren's death. The man had assumed Conor already knew, which added an extra level off shock to the Sullivan man. As such, Conor didn't rush into the house. Instead, he spent some time out in the fresh air speaking with the other guards at the gates. Up until the last couple of months when James gave in to his brother's requests for more responsibility, Warren had always been assigned to guarding the Porters' house, so it was a shock to the other men that their colleague had been killed.

Once he was feeling suitably prepared to enter the house and be in control of his own emotions when seeing James and Lucy, Conor went indoors. He first headed to the kitchen where he saw the five children seated at the dinner table. "Feeding time at the zoo, huh?" he gently teased the youngsters. He gently squeeze Leo's shoulder as he passed his son's chair, making a beeline for the plate of cookies that had been left out of the kids' reach. Seeing as most of them seemed finished with dinner, he placed the plate in the centre of the table and grabbed a cookie for himself. "Make sure you only take one each and I'll be back shortly," he reassured them.

James listened on as Lucy asked Syd various questions. When it came to business, the man was perfectly comfortable firing off questions and instructions. When it came to family and the more personal questions, he knew his wife was much better at it. If anything, he was sure she'd appreciate having the telephone handed to her as he would likely have missed all the kinds of details he wouldn't have thought to enquire about and Lucy would have wanted to know. He looked on as Lucy invited Syd and Roxie to stay with them, nodding his head in agreement. He wasn't sure how much use he'd be at maintaining their elated spirits, but at least he'd know they were safe.

Once the call was done, Lucy sat on the chair arm beside James. He moved his arm to rest his hand against her lower back and looked up as she teased him. "I've been 'Old Man' since Chicago. I think I can handle being called Gramps," he remarked. Despite returning her teasing, he couldn't mask the grief that remained etched on his face. "A drink would be--" he began, but was cut off when Conor entered the room. He sent Lucy a glance, unsure if she thought now was the time to speak to her brother or not.

"Hey Luce," Conor greeted his sister. He then directed his attention to James, the mob boss' troubles clearly showing on his face. "I'm sorry to hear about Warren, as are the lads," he said, using his thumb to point over his shoulder in the directly of the front gates where the security guards were stationed. In that moment, he decided to hold off from mentioning what Savannah had just done, so as not to overload James. Conor instead shared his focus between Lucy and James. "If there's anything I can do..." he began.

Add alcohol and stir!

The effect of Alistair’s outburst was overpowered by the subject that had driven him into his tirade. At least, it had for Gabriel, whose face instantly grew dark at the news of James being alive. Tony and Rhys, on the other hand, were quicker to react to their being insulted.

“Don’t put this on my men,” Alistair retorted, conscious that Steve and Ethan were present and hearing every word. “This was your chance to show us what you were capable of, and I foolishly put it to you to oversee that the plan worked out. Next time I’ll know better not to trust that you can do this without closer involvement from myself and Gabriel.” Alistair’s eyes burned with fury as they bore into Rhys’ skull, right where he felt the urge to lodge a bullet. It grated on him to no end that the man believed they had been trying in vain to kill James Porter for all this time, only for him to come and save them from their failed efforts. “Rhys, if only you had the first clue of what we’ve been working on until now. Maybe you have it all down in Miami, but here in New York you’re fresh meat. A lot of meticulous design has been put into breaking his empire down from the inside out, not that you had anything to do with it. You don’t know what my men have done. You don’t know how we operate. You have no right to insult their intelligence or sense.” Steve, catching Ethan’s disapproving eye, quietly placed the bottle of Scotch down on the cabinet behind him to give Alistair some credibility. “Perhaps you don’t realise that your uneducated criticisms insult not only me but also Gabriel, here. You’d better shut your ego down before -”

They were shortly interrupted by the sound of more men joining the party. With the news of James’ survival having shaken the room, Alistair had momentarily forgotten that they were also expecting other news. His glare shifted from Rhys over to the two unsuspecting men - but it turned out to be well-deserved, as it quickly came to light that they had failed to capture Maddox. Alistair let out a heavy sigh and dragged a hand down his face. At this point, he was expecting someone to follow them in with news that Stefano hadn’t managed to kill Syd after all.

Disappointed that the celebration had come to an end already, Steve had grown bored by the dispute between Alistair and Rhys. However, when he noticed the pistol in Gabriel’s hand, the build up of tension in the room became exciting again and an eager grin formed on his face as he watched from the sidelines. Again, in his inebriated state, he was more invested in the possibility of a murder than he was in the actual matter of Maddox having escaped. A loud blast pierced a neat hole between the unfortunate man’s eyes; Steve whistled at the sight, his hope fulfilled.

While the gunshot didn’t move the East Harlem boss, it broke the argument up enough for him to find his composure. Rhys made another ignorant suggestion, but Alistair found it unnecessary to point out that that had been the idea all along. “Alright...Maddox’ newfound loyalty with the Porters blew all our efforts to take down his right hand, so we’ll set a new target on him. Stefano is seeing to his son, but the Callahans...we haven’t given them as much attention as they’re worth.”

Tony seemed more keen to keep their target set on the mob boss himself, willing to even put himself in the firing line if it meant burying James Porter for good. Drawn in by Tony’s description of ‘fire and brimstone’, Steve’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, let's do it!” he enthused, rubbing fresh white powder from his nose.

“Alright,” Alistair said, raising a hand to slow down the rapid ideas being fired about the room. “Let’s not dismiss the idea of shooting James while he’s down. After all, one thing this failed mission -” he shot a dark glance towards Rhys, “- has done for us, is accelerate towards our broader goal. Undoing Conor and Syd, torturing Lucy and Sinead, that all wore him down - and had Maddox actually done what we asked and killed his son, he’d have given up weeks ago. Now, I reckon he’s lost all the fight in him completely. So - he’s not dead, but he is where we initially wanted him. His empire continues to crumble.” He turned to Tony and took a deep breath. “Having said that...going all in like that, Tony, requires a lot more planning. Take a lesson from the man himself - excuse me for touching on this, Gabriel - but the Irish once took that route to wipe out Moretti’s empire, and look how that backfired.”

The All-Powerful Enzyme!

The ride back from the island was rather somber. There was a calmness that settled over the ocean, as even the violent waves had turned to soft hands, guiding the boat peacefully across the black void below. A light sprinkle had formed and through the thick fog was the bright lights of new york. The two men sat in silence in the back, there eyes never leaving the wooden planks. Jackson navigated the wheel of the boat with his uninjured arm, his gaze locked on the city's bright skyline. The front of the boat held Syd and Roxie, the lovers entertained at the mast with the ocean breeze nipping at their wet skin. It was darkest before the dawn, and with the storm passing, the sunrise of optimism crept up from the horizon as it always had.

Once they had made it to the hospital, Jackson helped Syd move Roxie into a wheelchair. They made their way through the lobby and once the couple had received the attention of a few doctors, Jackson retreated back to a separate hallway. His shoulder had taken a hit, but the injury's treatment seemed rudimentary. If he didn't require medical attention, he preferred to keep injuries off his record. Jackson moved for a nurse's closet, where he swiped a surgical sewing kit and a bottle of Isopropyl. The janitor across the hallway looked him up and down, as Jackson made no attempts to hide his actions. The two looked at each other in silence, until the janitor had gotten a good look at Jackson's state. Without a word, the janitor's defensive stance fell, and he continued down the corridor, his mop mapping his path like a blind man's pole.

Inside a single stall bathroom, Jackson's hands gripped the edges of the blood-stained sink. With his coat draped over the stall wall, his wound was exposed by his white tank top. Cracked, dried blood surrounded a top graze, which Jackson's finger delicately guided a needle through. The grit-expression on his face suggested concentration more than pain until he pulled the thin needle up for the last time. He placed his teeth down on the fiber and cut it loose. With the work being done, he tossed the bloody instruments into the sink and took a good look at himself in the mirror. He no longer saw the confident stare of a hitman in his twenties, for there were far too many wrinkles surrounding his frown. He was getting old. Nonetheless, he wasn't done yet. His hands moved to the Isopropyl beside the faucet and popped the cap off with his thumb. He then poured the disinfectant on his wound liberally. There was a sharp hissing sound, accompanied by his pained groan as his white fingertips clutched the ceramic bowl.

Jackson made his way through the extensive halls. The hospital seemed far busier then it had been when he had disappeared to the bathroom. He found himself having the navigate through crowds of patients and family members until he could reach Syd at the phone. Before he could make his way through and grab his godson's attention, the kid had moved out to a stairwell. "Fuckin' hell! Move!" Jackson sharply said, forcing his way through a group that had rudely occupied the center of the hall.

"Syd," Jackson said, grabbing the kid's attention. His rushed demeanor dropped as he studied Syd's happy expression. "Doin' a runner, are we?" Jackson joked, snatching the pack of cigarettes from Syd's grasp. He pulled a stick out and placed it between his lips, not noticing that they were the only two inconsiderate enough to spark up inside of a hospital. "I'm takin' it she's doin' just fine," Jackson noted, taking a deep inhale of the cigarette. The nicotine did wonders, immediately calming Jackson's sizzling nerves. "You did good. What you did back there, was what you had to do."